This invention relates to an automatic system whereby product elements may be introduced to, stored in, and dispensed from a facility. More particularly, this invention is directed toward such a system which allows a large number of product elements to dispensed with a minimum of human intervention.
Previously, most storage and distribution systems have required large amounts of manual labor. When a particular order is received, instructions are given to individual laborers who must enter the storage area and select the desired product elements, transporting them to a separate area where they are consolidated for shipment. While this system is suitable for businesses which ship low volumes of product elements, it is not well suited for larger storage facilities, for example liqueur distributing warehouses, wherein large numbers of product elements must be withdrawn from the warehouse stock and consolidated in as short a time as possible.